Kiri and the Fox
by Liber Fatum
Summary: 8 year old Naruto is haunted by dreams of hallways and the calling of a voice. When he changes suddenly, he realizes the answer to his one question. How will he react? And how does a girl from Kiri add into this mix? Powerful!Naruto, pairings undecided.
1. Prologue : The Start

Prologue: The Start

The assault started late at night. The roar of the rebels began with a slow hum which grew steadily as they drew closer and closer towards the village walls.

"How _foolish. _They are nothing but bloodthirsty, idiotic fools," the shinobi grunted. He was a well built young man wearing a face mask. He looked nothing out of the ordinary except for one thing; he had absolutely no eyebrows.

"Agreed. Only fools such as these plan such a thinly veiled rebellion and destroy whatever chance and advantage they had by screaming their presence for all the world to see," replied the man standing next to him. He was a strange looking man; with an appearance that was distinctly shark-like, what with blue skin and dark blue hair.

The two men stood calmly under a sakura tree, simply awaiting the onslaught that would occur shortly. Not once did they flinch, despite the overwhelming amount of killing intent that surrounded them. The two large swords which adorned their back gave them an altogether intimidating look.

The rebels swarmed the walls, using chakra techniques to climb the walls. Peculiarly, they received no resistance, a not-so-subtle hint that they paid no heed. They were, after all, fools.

"Kami, I wish that Ayasaki-jiji would just _give_ the orders. That old geezer is torturing me, and he knows it. _Fuck _him," cursed the young shinobi.

"Gaki, you should be more respectful of Ayasaki-sama. He is after all, the Sandaime Mizukage-sama. He deserves the respect of the village, more so since he is also an Ayasaki," reprimanded the shark shinobi. Yet, he too had an air of impatience around him, his glittering eyes revealing his tightly controlled bloodlust. By then, the rebels had successfully breached the walls and were pouring into the streets as they speak. They charged straight towards their goal, totally disregarding their rather unnaturally quiet surroundings. Unbeknownst to them, a silent network of shadows were observing them noiselessly; bodies tense and taut, readying themselves for the impending signal. The one hundred strong rebels had finally reached the city square when suddenly, a heavy mist began enveloping the entire village. The mist was so thick that if one were to observe the view for the outside, you could have sworn that it was thick enough to walk on.

'_Finally, old geezer_,' thought a certain eyebrow-less young shinobi as he drew his black great sword with a smirk. He gave a barely perceptive nod toward his blue companion as they both set off to complete their mission…and satisfy their bloodthirsty needs, _for now._

_

* * *

_

Screams rang through the air as the enemies were struck down one by one by an unseen force. The rebels were brutally massacred as wave upon wave of shinobi hit them at all possible sides. They did not go down without a fight however, as they took many of the attacking shinobi with them together to the grave. Eventually, however, their strength could not prevail against the combined might and effort of the Kirigakure shinobi and their numbers gradually diminished as they were whittled down to a man. The last one standing was but a boy, yet he was powerful to the extent that the shinobi who circled him approached him warily.

Seeing that his current chance for survival was currently nil, the boy chose to do what any sane man or woman, or in his case, child, would do; he fled. The shinobi weren't about to let him go without a fight however, as they chased him all the way. In the future, those shinobi, all forty-eight of them, became shining examples taught to little aspiring shinobi tots, of what _not _to do in battle, which is to lose one's head in the excitement and in the procedure lose one's head… literally; never chase a desperate ninja who happens to be a prodigy and strongest person in the clan. Such was the gravity of the situation, that the forty-eight ninjas were ensured a place forever in the textbooks of little shinobi wannabes as the 'Forty-Eight Idiots'.

But, if one chooses to ignore this single discrepancy, it is without doubt that the ninety-nine strong rebels, which happen to make up the entire shinobi population of their clan, were definitely sent to the after-life. As for the rest of the unfortunate clan, they were dealt with…severely. In the context of civilians and some soft shinobi village, severely would mean, at worst, exile, or at best, ostracized. However, the one thing the Hidden Village of Mist was not known for would be leniency, therefore in the context of Kirigakure no Sato, 'severely' meant the outright massacre of offending clan. No mercy.

The bodies were being piled up into a single mound. No women or children of the clan, was spared from this grisly fate. The confused looks of the children and terrified faces of the non-shinobi women were forever stamped on the features of their corpses as the shinobi of the Mist made it absolutely clear on what would happen if anyone were to defy them. The final whimpers of the last child had finally died down as a shinobi grabbed the corpse by the scruff of the neck and threw him carelessly on top of the mound. One old man who had observed the entire fiasco from the beginning gave a curt nod to a Jounin ninja who quickly performed a few handseals and shouted "Katon: Goukakyu no Jutsu!" as a huge fireball burst from his mouth and swiftly burned the mound of corpses. Another Jounin followed suit and another one until the mound became a huge bonfire. The pervasive smell of burned flesh filled the air as many a ninja began to feel shame, not for the massacre that was just committed, but for the feeling they had began to experience as soon as the bodies began to burn; they were feeling _hungry_.

* * *

The old man known famously to the shinobi world as Ayasaki Seichiro and Sandaime Mizukage of Kirigakure no Sato, Hidden Village of the Mist, let out a disgusted sound as he watched one of the twelve noble clans of the Hidden Mist disappear off the face of the world.

'_They were ultimately a failed clan, lesser descendants of greater forefathers_,' he concluded silently. Yet, he cannot help but feel regret as one of his villages' most prized kekkei genkai, 'the shikotsumyaku' were totally wiped out. _'Those stupid Kaguyas are such a bunch of fools,'_ he seethed silently as he watched the flames incinerate the bodies of the foolish clan.

One of the thirteen pillars that have supported the Hidden Mist Village since its inception has now crumbled. As the stonemasons and builders continually build this 'home' higher, one can't help but wonder…would it now stand the pressure, now that one of its vital supports has now crumbled to the dust? Or would it simply herald the coming disaster as cracks and chinks now adorn the home called Kiri.

* * *

News of the destruction of the Kaguya Clan spread like wildfire throughout the shinobi world. Some took this as a sign of weakness, notably the Hidden Village of the Rain and the Hidden Village of the Sun. The Mist proved them wrong however, defeating the Rain in a humiliating battle and crushing the Sun, wiping out the village entirely. From there onwards, the other villages took this as a warning from the Mist that the loss of the Kaguya Clan was by no means a handicap and the Mist was by no means weak. So, the other villages left them to their own designs, though some still inwardly seethe at the sheer monstrosity of the massacre. Most notable and distinct of all was the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato as he had made absolutely no pretenses in hiding his displeasure.

"How could they do this?!" the blonde Hokage roared. "The rebels, maybe, they had it coming…But the innocent women and children too?!!" He glared at the offending report and crumpled it up, throwing it into the waste paper basket with venom. His normally cheerful sky-blue eyes were a narrowed electric blue as he continued to breathe heavily.

"Arashi, you need to calm down." The blonde head swiveled toward the entrance to his office as an old man stepped in. The old man's face was wrinkled, naturally, and the many laugh lines you could see on his features were testament to a life enjoyed. At that moment, the wise, old face held compassion as he took in pained expression of his successor. The previous Hokage was touched to see how his successor's heart reached out for the innocent people whom he did not even know, but Sandaime Hokage knew that aside from criticizing the foreign village, there was scant little that each could do. Even then, such an action would be unwise as Hidden Mist could take that as an insult and take offence. A war could flare up, just because of that one action, and that is one thing Konoha could not afford. '_Ah, the joys of politics,'_ the old man sarcastically thought.

"Arashi, the last thing we need is a war to blow up in our faces, seeing as we are just recovering from the last war with Iwagakure, the Hidden Village of Rock," the old man counseled. The blonde nodded, agreeing. "But you must agree, this massacre is monstrous, it's simply…inhumane." "I agree, but there is little we can do about that." The old man began to relax as he saw the blonde calming down.

"So," Sandaime began on a lighter note, "how is Haruka?" Arashi straightened up, his eyes brightening as Sandaime touched on his most favourite subject. "She's glowing with happiness, you should just see her. Pregnancy really agrees with her." Suddenly, he turned sour, muttering, "It doesn't seem to agree with her in the morning, however." Sandaime chuckled at that, allowing the father-to-be an indulgent smile. "So what is it to be? The baby's name, that is," asked Sandaime. Arashi perked up at that and answered brightly, "If he's a boy, Naruto, or if he's a she, Haruhi."

A moment of happy silence filled the office as both men smiled at this moment of joy; a moment cut short when rapid and urgent footsteps brought both Hokages out of their reverie. An assistant-nin burst into the office and quickly surrendered the source of his obvious anxiety; a scroll marked as extremely urgent and important. Arashi tore the scroll open and scanned its contents quickly. His countenance swiftly changed from the cheerful father of before to that of a grim kage of a village facing imminent destruction. He passed the scroll to his predecessor who quickly read the contents of the scroll and slumped back in obvious tiredness. He recovered quickly however and became determined to protect his 'house' called Konoha from all dangers. Yondaime noticed that and nod approvingly. He turned to the assistant-nin, "Send word to all Jounin to gather for an urgent meeting. It is time we did our duty in protecting our home."

The scroll reads:

_Youma Kyuubi no Kitsune sighted. Headed straight for Konoha. __

* * *

_

Two years after the turmoil and death that had spread throughout the Hidden Village of the Leaves, after the civil unrest of the Hidden Village of the Mist, a young girl in Mikawa town, southern Water Country, was dying…slowly. Her bright yellow hair was shorn in an uneven way, while her once bright cerulean eyes had become dull and slack. Lacerations covered her entire body while dark and angry bruises were everywhere from her arms to her feet. The only thing that seemed untouched was her face. Oddly, she wasn't crying nor was her face scrunched up in anger or fear. Rather, she was smiling in a perverse manner which sadly draws one to the conclusion that she was now interminably insane. She lay there for quite sometime, simply staring into open space, smiling at a joke only she could comprehend. After sometime, she got up, wincing as she did, to get to her chores. It was five in the morning, and the girl was running late for her chores.

"Bastard!" roared the huge obese man as the girl scuttled towards him, kneeling and smiling. He gave her a huge backhand swipe which sent her flying across the room. "Fucking shit, bastard, the water is not warm enough!" he bellowed, pointing at the tub which seemed to be steaming in Water Country's cool weather. The girl quickly nodded in agreement, smile still intact though a little bloody. She waited for further abuse and quickly started to fix his 'problem' when no further violence was dished out.

A few hours later, she was busy lugging the rice barrels which had recently arrived from the supplier to the business stores when she passed by the town's resident bullies. "Hey, bastard! Bastard! Whatcha doin', huh?!!'" "Working hard, isn't the ickle bastard working hard!!" they shouted and teased as they threw rocks and pebbles at her. She knew better than to answer. However, a pebble struck home, hitting her in the head thereby causing her to lose consciousness. When she recovered, she realized in panic that it was already late and somehow, as a prank, the bullies had sliced the barrel apart; meaning that she is now in deep shit.

The girl winced as a wiry thin man brought his switch down on her back as the rest of her 'family' looked on. There was Uncle Jiro, the obese man who had hit her that morning, Aunt Kiko who would pinch her 'til she would turn black and blue all over her body, Uncle Gin was currently bringing down the switch on her as he grin savagely, a grin she would return just as sweetly and of course, her dear cousins, Omasu, Yasu and Kijin who, often or not influenced and sided with the bullies to torture her. The switch hit her repeatedly but she refused to give up smiling, which puzzled them. Hell, the smile unnerved them; how anyone could keep smiling while being repeatedly abused, they did not know. But, they did realize that the abuse had no effect on her as Uncle Jiro called out to Uncle Gin to stop, saying that he had enough of the freak's showcase. He merely smirked and grabbed the girl by her hair and flung her out. "And stay out!" he shouted at her before shutting the door soundly.

The first thing the girl did was to go to the well where she kept her hidden stash of medicine and ointments which she had stolen from the town's physician. After cleaning her wounds and applying medicine on them, she was about to return to the rice store where she normally camped out at when she heard a muffled scream. Surprised, she immediately set out to investigate. She then came upon the source of the scream and saw bodies, five of them to be exact, littered on the floor. They seem to be wearing porcelain masks of sorts, and from the way shinobi were normally described, she'd imagine that that was what they looked like. She turned her attention to the person she thinks that they were after and came upon an oddity. The person who had taken out the five shinobi and was doing the same with the sixth and last one was a boy, a boy scarcely older than her.

She watched as the beautiful (she decided immediately that he was beautiful) boy whirled around using what appeared to be a sword shaped like a bone to impale the shinobi with it in his gut. With a wordless cry, the shinobi kneeled over and collapsed, blood pouring from his side. She then became fascinated with the crimson colour of the blood pouring out of the shinobi, taking a step forward. The noise she made alerted the white-haired boy to her presence as he immediately turned towards her, fixing his killing intent upon her. He saw her typically fall to the ground, body shaking wildly; eyes wide open with its pupils dilated. As he approached closer, he noticed one odd thing, sure she was shaking, sure her eyes were wide open; what he couldn't understand was why she was grinning widely. So he decided to ask her, "Girl, why do you smile?"

She looked him in the eyes and said smiling sweetly, "The moon sure looks nice, so round and pretty, so I thought, ahh, tonight may be a nice night to die." The answer startled him to say the least until he took into account her overall appearance and seemingly put two and two together. He withdrew the bone-sword and offered his hand saying, "If you can find me a place to sleep and rest during the coming snow storm tonight, I'll spare you your life. You shouldn't die so early without finding your purpose in life." Hesitantly, she took his hand and grinned answering, "Sure!"

He paused a moment looking at her, before telling her, "My name is Kimimaro, Kaguya Kimimaro." To which she answered, "Ayasaki Saya."

_TBC…_

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* * *

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So, what did you think? I'll not do pairings yet as I'm not sure whether I should do het or yaoi or an oc pairing just yet. I might just forgo pairings altogether, who knows? Heh, guess standard procedure is to beg readers to review. Well, this is my first time venturing into the the very big world of Naruto fanfic, so...be nice?

-Nana out


	2. Chapter 1 : Loneliness

CHAPTER 1 - Loneliness

The boy named Kimimaro stiffened at the name and proceeded to lift his bone-sword. Before he struck however, curiosity overcame him. "Ayasaki? AYASAKI?! What is an Ayasaki doing here?!" he demanded. The girl called Saya remained unfazed answering, "I believe that this family is a branch of the Ayasaki clan which broke since they decided not to become a shinobi. The Ayasakis I live with are merchants." '_Sadists, gluttons and pricks as well,'_ she added silently.

At her explanation, which he took at face value, he gave a stiff nod saying, 'Very well. Lead the way.' She nodded and led them through the alleyway until they reached a high wall. She frowned upon this, clearly not expecting this particular obstacle. She turned rather sheepishly at the boy, "Ano… Ninja-san, I forgot…" The boy nodded, understanding as he grabbed her and carried her over his shoulder. With a few fluid movements, which somehow involve walking on the wall to the girl's downright amazement, they were past the high wall, landing smoothly on the ground.

She guided him to the rice warehouse where she was comfortable in her belief that her 'family' wouldn't enter. She was after all, sleeping there. The boy proceeded to make himself comfortable with his surroundings when he caught her stare. The boy looked up questioning, to which the girl began, "Ano…Kaguya-dono…"

"Kimimaro is enough," the boy cut her.

"Kimimaro-san, ano…Are you a dangerous criminal?" Amused, the boy answered, "Yes, I am. A criminal of the most dangerous breed." To which the girl squeaked at his answer, wondering in panic how much trouble would this mean. Secretly though, she was very much excited and wondered if his coming spelt a change in her young life; be it for better or for worse.

* * *

_6 years later…_

A young boy ran through the streets of Konoha, his knees scraped badly, cuts and bruises both miniscule and noticeable covering his body. He was crying, just as he was crying last night and the night before and the night before that night…He had wept and wept until he swore he wouldn't, yet he still did, even now. The pain was too real, too fresh to be ignored.

The boy paused. He halted momentarily from his sprint as he heard his name called.

It was the old man.

The boy was questioned, rather urgently. It lifted his spirits tremendously to know that there was somebody who still cared. He regained his composure and answered shyly and in a small voice that the wounds were from a fall, a rather bad one at that. Inwardly, the boy shuddered at the memory of the moment in which the wounds had been inflicted on him. The old man clicked his tongue disapprovingly at his seeming carelessness, yet looked relief that the wounds were not maliciously inflicted, as they gave the impression to be so.

The old man then gave him instructions to go to the hospital as his wounds looked rather severe. The boy nodded as he gave his word. He ran once more, this time, his eyes were no longer filled with tears. He ran, relishing the wild abandon the simple act of running gave him. Yet when he stopped, he felt empty once more. He was _there._

It was a medium-sized lake, with a pier built at its shore to accommodate idle fishers. There was no special event that marked the place as important in the history of Konoha, no unusual feature which marks it as unique; but to Sasuke, it was the one place which reminded him of all that he had lost. Every visit to the pier would spur him on to weep, to injure himself purposely, to wallow in self-pity, but no more… Old man Teuchi who lectured him just now does not understand, neither did Mrs. Yamanaka or the man who sells dango down the street and all the rest of the other suck-ups who pretended that they cared.

_Sasuga, ore no ko da…_

'_You are indeed my son_,' the wind seemed to whisper. Tears threatened to spill, but he held it in. No longer would he give in to such indulgences, or else he would not have been worthy of his father's acknowledgement. He held his head high up as another voice intruded the surroundings, '_Foolish little brother…'_ it began. With a battle cry, Sasuke dove into the waters; chasing his brother's phantom presence. '_Father_…'he thought fiercely, an echo of his father's words…_indeed my son…_ filling his thoughts with fire, and then, '_Mother_…' he remembered softly, dreams of her gentle laughter and kind soul stabbing him with regret and…

_Loneliness._

He choked. Unable to hold his breath, he emerged from the depths crying once more. He would chase his brother's shadow, of that there was no doubt…But now, he was still an eight-year old. Though he is a boy from a genius clan which had produce many countless prodigies who fought and killed as young as seven years, Sasuke was not one of them.

He cared not as tears streamed down freely; after all, no one was there. He was…alone.

* * *

Not so far away, another boy was tossing fitfully in his sleep. He dreamt of long hallways, impossibly high and foreboding. A voice was calling him; a voice harsh yet sensual, tempting and repulsive.

His eyes shut, he ran at an impossible speed, covered an impossible distance; running to a destination of which he knew not, of which he dare not see. All that he was aware of was that the calling was magnetic; it commanded him and he could not help but obey.

'_**Boy, at last…'**_

He had stopped running. Opening his eyes, gasping, he saw…

* * *

The ceiling; old, dilapidated and leaky, it was without doubt the ceiling of his house.

He had awakened, drawing hitched breaths as sweat streamed down his face in rivulets. He felt like he was on fire, his entire body steaming hot. Fatigue plagued him; his muscles ached as if he had run an entire marathon. '_A fever dream_,' he mused silently, getting to his feet to get a pain killer. Collapsing the moment he stood, he wryly thought, '_Make that a few pain killers_.' Reaching up to his medicine cabinet was impossible at his current height, therefore, he was forced to use the great armchair the old man Hokage donated to him last year; which was such a pain, as it was so heavy. It often took him 10 minutes just to drag it across the living room.

He paused. The damned chair was, curiously, too _light_. 'Is this my home?' he wondered aloud. He did a quick check; everything was in its place from the rundown furniture to the pealing wallpaper. 'Yup, home sweet home,' he stated wryly. Shrugging that off as an isolated incident, he quickly retrieved the pain killers and downed as many as his monthly allowance permitted him; which was more often than not, not very much.

The next discovery struck him as odd. He was very certain that he had trim his hair but two days ago, yet now it hung shoulder length. Peculiarly, it was also as soft as cat's fur. His hair was _not_ soft. It was anything _but _soft. Spiky, unruly and coarse, yes. Soft, fine and silky, _no_.

Bewildered, he gaped at his reflection in the mirror. He looked so…so _girly_. Grabbing a kunai, he grabbed a lock of the offending hair and sawed right through it. He did so till his hair was once more at its original length. Despite the fact that he had used a _kunai_ of all things, he reckoned that he had done a pretty good job. Sadly, the odd turn of events gave him no respite. His hair was still impossibly _straight_ and un-spiky as possible.

Bemoaning the weird and certainly unwanted changes that morning, he prepared his breakfast darkly. He had liked his hair just fine. No, that was an understatement. He was immensely proud of his hair; the way the locks spiked wildly like a golden lion, grand and majestic. Now, it hung limp and lifeless; like…like some girl's hair; he shuddered at the thought. But there was nothing he could do at the moment; he was already running late for school.

He would just wait. Wait and hope for the best…he scowled. He was now thinking like some love-struck _girl_. He certainly prayed he would not change further, like lose his…well, lose a man's important _something_.

Stepping through the doorway, he didn't bother to say '_Itekimasu' _as most people would. Why should he? After all, there was no one to say _'Iterashai'._ Naruto was alone, always has been, and probably always will be.

* * *

Whispers filled the hallway, while the bolder and more inquisitive ones poke their heads out of the classroom door. They would quickly withdraw within the sanctuary of their classrooms before the 'human blizzard' would glare them to death. A full month after the event of the Uchiha massacre and his subsequent absence, Uchiha Sasuke had returned to the Academy.

Glowering and scowling enough to give Uchiha Itachi a run for his money, Sasuke basically ignored the questioning looks his classmates were giving him. He had unknowingly spelled his doom as the target of RBFG (Rabid Bitchy Fan-Girls), as the RBFG were always on the prowl for the cool, mysterious and tragic 'hero'. Sasuke, with his lack of social skills and experience as well as his clan's tragic fate, fit the requirements to the tee. His looks certainly did not help the situation as many would agree that he does have the common Uchiha features i.e. pale complexion, dark-hair and obsidian eyes, which the RBFG, for some reason, found irresistible.

So it was with a tense and whisper-full atmosphere that Uzumaki Naruto made his hair debut entrance. He was ignored, how predictable. The world seemed to sink around Naruto who thought darkly that he would die the same way; ignored, unwanted and stared at with cold, disgusted eyes. Determination flared within him; that will _not_ be his fate, he would _not_ be ignored. He punched the wall, shouting, "Everyone! Uzumaki Naruto-sama has arrived!"

Everyone was silent for a full ten seconds. What followed was a complete disaster as panic raged rampant within the class.

Naruto was similarly astonished…and afraid. The weirdness of today had evidently not been restricted to the confines of his home, it would seem. Jounins and ANBUs swooped down out of nowhere and managed to calm everyone down. He was swiftly apprehended and taken before he could say a word.

The entire school was evacuated in a short moment, for fears of unfortunate accidents since the stability and security of the building could not be ascertained yet. One boy slipped unnoticed, however. Sasuke stared at the collapsed wall, his eyes narrowed. '_That power…I need that power to get to him…' _

_TBC…_

_

* * *

_

Yeah, Naruto has some issues with girls that will be shown shortly. If you didn't get it, Kyuu-chan changed him. I hope you don't mind the oc. She has an important part to play later on.

Hope you didn't mind the angst. If its weird, pls tell. This is my first time writing angst. I just can't angst properly. What am I to do? I'm a happy type of person:P

Iterashai : Standard saying as one leaves the house announcing one's departure.

Itekimasu : Have a safe journey

Standard fanfic writer procedure: Pls review!


	3. Chapter 3 : Pasts Memories and Outcome

CHAPTER 2 – Pasts, Memories and Outcome

"Ne…Did you hear? The Kyuubi brat finally showed his colours yesterday?"

"You're serious? Scary!"

"What happened? Kami forbid! Did someone die?!"

"Eeek! No way! In the Academy?! The poor children!"

Whispers buzzed throughout the streets of Konoha as people held not-so-discreet discussions on the events of that day. Voices lowered and feverish; tongues wagged as the tale grew wilder and more outlandish. According to certain sources, the Kyuubi brat had grew claws and fangs that day, tore ten children apart and had leveled the Academy to the ground with one of his nine tails. Such was the nature of the spreaded gossip. Yet, one thing was agreed upon; they were safe. ANBU and jounins had apprehended him and even now, were planning his fate.

Completely disregarding the Third's rule, many have even held wagers on the fate of the detested Kyuubi brat. Some say that he would be tied to the stake and incinerated with the Goukakyu as most criminals were summarily executed. Others argue however that Kyuubi was a creature who dominated fire and was therefore unharmed by it. The people were very certain however, that the council and of course, the Hokage would deal with it most fittingly. After all, the Hokage's and the council's primary function is to ensure the safety of the village and its people; and right now, the vessel of the Nine tailed Fox was the most dangerous threat of all in the eyes of these narrow-minded people.

* * *

"I am the Hokage and you will _not _challenge me in that manner!" growled the old man in red and white robes, his eyes narrowed and heated. Suitably cowed, the council member who had so foolishly awakened the Third's temper sat down with a pale and frightened expression. 

An elderly woman however was not affected. She began calmly, "Sarutobi, I am still not convinced. Many people have witnessed what that boy is capable of. If he is allowed to run scot-free and out of control, who knows…"

"Koharu, you _know_ who he is. You know _what_ he is," the Third cut in. He angrily faced the council, "The hell, all of you know; _all_ of you know the truth."

_FLASHBACK_

"My fellow members of the council, today, it is with a heavy heart that I resign my position as council member and once again take up the burden of Hokage."

An old man with a tired and drawn expression faced a group of people who possessed similar expressions such as he. In his arms, he held a small bundle which he handled with much care. In stark contrast, the council members eyed what he held with disgust and thinly veiled hatred.

The Third held up the baby, "Now, we come to the main purpose of the day." He sighed, "Today's public announcement did not end as I had expected and hoped."

"Lord Hokage, with all due respect," a council member began, "it was to be expected after you revealed what that…that thing…" the speaker crinkled his mouth in distaste, "what it truly is." An uproar followed as many council members stood up, emboldened by the speaker's initiative, to express their agreement.

"SILENCE!!!" the Third Hokage roared.

Total silence ensued after the Third's unnatural display of anger. By nature, he was a most even-tempered person, being able to offer forgiveness for unforgivable acts and display an inhuman amount of patience; however it seemed that that even-temperedness was a little frayed today.

"Do you have no sense of shame? Do you think that this innocent child had a choice in this matter? The ignorance and idiocy of the masses, I can understand…somewhat…though I will never forgive. You people however, the minds that lead the village, you of all people should have been able to reason logically," the aged Hokage raged.

"This child…this _thing_, as you say, is the only one holding the Kyuubi at bay. He is the only person that keeps us safe. Yet, you people treat him as if he was the monster itself! Have your logic and reasoning gone out the window?! Have you all finally gone senile?!"

"Esteemed Third Hokage, that is quite enough. I am sure we have all gotten your drift by now," Koharu said quietly yet effectively, as he began calming down. "There is but one thing I wish to know: the seal that keeps the monster inside him; is it secure?"

"Have you no faith in the Fourth and his ability?" the Third answered bitterly. "Do you think that he would give up his life for the village just to improperly seal the beast? Do you think that he would endanger his own_ son's_ sanity by allowing the monster to contaminate him?" The Third snorted, "I think not. Kazama Arashi was not stupid."

The sound of a pin dropping could be heard as a stunned silence enveloped the council room.

"His _son_!?!"

_END FLASHBACK_

"We are grateful for what the Fourth had done to save us," a conservative-looking man to Koharu's right interjected, "however, it cannot be ignored that the boy is a potential threat. Revealing that power so suddenly, it is surely Kyuubi's influence. Who knows what else the monster has been whispering to the boy in the deep recess of his mind?"

"Homura, what you say may be true and it may be not," replied the Third. "But, I… I want to believe in Naruto. I trust in his ability and the honesty of his conscience. I know him to possess the same…the same _will of fire_ that his father once had. He…one day, will prove it to all of you, I know it! If you would just give him the chance to do so…"

He paused as a contemplative quiet filled the room.

He cleared his throat, "Now, all those in favour of Uzumaki Naruto's continued existence; please raise your hands."

"And those in favour of his execution…"

* * *

"Ne…Ne tebayo!!! What is going on?! Why are you keeping me here?! I'm sorry already! Now, let me out! Please?! I'm so hungry! It's so dark and wet…and…and…" the childish voice broke, "it's so scary…and I'm…I'm all…alone." A sob escaped from his lips, followed by another and another, until the child broke down altogether. 

Memories of an ugly past swam through his consciousness; memories of cold eyes and harsh whispers and rejection; memories of loneliness.

_FLASHBACK_

"Here," a little girl said shyly, giving him a box of cookies. "I made it for you," she said, her emerald eyes sparkling. "I made it...because I like you." She skipped away leaving seven year old Naruto in a daze.

"_I made it for you…"_

"…_for you."_

"_I like…"_

"…_you"_

Impossible.

That was the first thing that came into his mind. '_A dream…This is a dream!' _yelled his mind. Yet, the box that he held in his hands carefully were real…the wind blowing his spiky and often jibed-at hair was real too…his heavy breathing and pounding heart was assuring him most certainly…_This is real_…

Tears spilled from his eyes unbidden.

The coming days were the most joyful moment of his young life. He had a _friend_…he had someone who would smile at him, who would laugh at his antics. He had someone who would be there for him…_with_ him. For the first time in his life, Uzumaki Naruto was not alone.

Yet, joys that came too soon disappeared as fast as they came.

"Kura-chan! Kura-chan, sorry to keep you wai…Huh?!" the boy stopped.

"…promised! You promised, Ami-chan! You said that if I could stand that Naruto dobe for an entire month, you'll become my friend!"

It was his Kura-chan.

"I did? So I did. Well…I lied. _Sorry_," smirked the girl in a most unrepentant tone. "See you later, forehead-girl." With that, the girl ran off laughing with her goons in tow.

Normally, Naruto would have immediately gone to take revenge for his dearest friend, but one thing stopped him completely in the tracks.

'…_that Naruto dobe.'_

'_You promised!'_

It left him stunned, confused and…betrayed.

'_Was it all a lie?'_ he wondered.

Kura-chan was still weeping. However, Naruto could not find it within his heart to comfort her in his moment of confusion. Neither did he possess the courage to demand the truth from her. He didn't want a conformation; conformation that his happiness up 'til now was a lie. Instead, he quietly left the area.

He received his answer the next day; an answer too obvious to ignore. She avoided him; glared at him when he glanced her way. Whispers and giggles of _girls _poking fun at him seeped into his hearing, and he knew once more that he was unwanted; he never was needed from the start.

'_The games that girls play…'_

He never spoke to her again, nor did he, civilly, to any other girl thereafter.

_END FLASHBACK_

He shook his head angrily, '_I will not cry! I __**promised**__ that I will never ever cry anymore! I'm sick of crying. Besides…'_ he twisted his mouth wryly at that thought, '_crying is so girly.'

* * *

_

Wiping the tears that had poured like rain only just before that, he slipped into the meditative pose the old man Hokage had taught him before; to calm him down. He shut his eyes.

_Imagine a fire, a fire deep within you. Pour all your emotions into that fire and let the flame consume it. Do so until all around you is stillness and peace. Until all that remains is you…_

'…_boy…_BOY…**BOY!'**

He opened his eyes, gasping. The Voice had called, and he had answered.

He was standing in _the hall. _It was, as he had remembered; just as impossibly high, just as foreboding and downright scary. Yet, he was filled with an somewhat unholy joy, for at last, he was going to get answers.

"**Boy…come here where I can see you," **called out the Voice.

Naruto walked towards the huge bars that he had appeared in front of the moment before. A huge silhouette of an animal of some sort could be seen, but nothing distinct can be made of it. Suddenly, a huge claw came swiping at him, only to be blocked by the bars. To say that Naruto was terrified, was an understatement.

A huge, maliciously grinning face appeared behind the bars. It was the face of a…monster.

"**Boy…How I wish to devour you," **it growled, "**but, as you can see, this accursed seal prevents that from happening."**

"Se-seal?" the boy stuttered.

"**The seal!!"** the beast roared nudging its head angrily toward what seemed like a piece of paper sticking on the bars of its cage. The kanji for 'Seal' was written on it. The creature began muttering indistinctly, though words like 'stupid human' and 'weak' were very pronounced and laced with venom.

"A…Ano…Wha-who are you?" Naruto asked timidly, cursing himself for almost saying 'what'.

"**You foolish little boy…You don't know?" **the beast snorted derisively. **"I was unable to see or communicate with you thanks to the seal, but really…you must be one dobe to not know the Great Kyuubi no Kitsune!"** the beast pronounced grandly.

"Don't call me dobe!" the boy yelled heatedly. "Don't call me dobe like them…like how they called me…" he muttered.

"**What was that? Didn't quite get you," **Kyuubi tartly replied.

"ANYWAY, just DON'T call me dobe!" he shouted.

The fox snorted by way of agreement.

"By the way…I thought you were supposed to be dead! The Fourth did you in…so said Iruka-sensei at least…" Naruto said suddenly.

"**Dead? DEAD?!! The Great Kyuubi…mightiest of all the nine Bijuu; most suave, handsome and sexy creature to walk the face of the world… done in by a vapid blonde airhead??!! THAT is what they teach children now?!?! I'm gonna…I'm gonna…" **The fox breathe heavily, its nine tails fanned out and raised in its indignant anger.

That went on for a moment until sense returned and it huffed shortly, "**Whatever. They'll soon feel my presence once more and the textbooks WILL be revised."** Its eyes glinted dangerously, **"I'll see to that…personally."**

"Anyway," Naruto began impatiently, "if one adds the fact that you are not dead, why is it that _you_ are communicating with _me _of all people?"

"**Boy…you really are a do-…ah, baka…you really are a baka. Why not you add the seal and me and what I said just now into one tiny and simple equation, and just add everything up,"** the fox suggested sardonically.

The world came crashing down all around him. He felt nausea, dizziness and numbness all in a split second. It all clicked together; the people's disgust and the way he was shunned, the reason why only old man Hokage cared… somewhat… for him. It all made sense.

"Seal…You were defeated on October 10th, the day that I was born…You weren't killed…You were sealed!! Into me!! By…by the Fourth," he concluded, exhausted. "People hated me after that because they thought that I was…you."

"**The baka has brains. You should be given an award. No present from me, sorry. Haven't been out for some decent shopping for the last…ooh, last eight years," **snapped the fox.

"Shut up, Kyuubi."

The fox grinned. Somehow, that cheered him up.

Naruto realized something important. "You were the source of all my dreams. All that running; what was with all that running? I woke up feeling as if I had just run 10 laps around Konoha. And my weird strength…AND THE HAIR!" he roared. "WHY DID YOU DO THAT TO MY HAIR, YOU FREAK!"

"**One, the running was to counter the reaction your body could have got while I fiddled with the seal. Reaction…hmm, let's say…you could have exploded. Two, the weird strength is because my chakra is leaking out constantly since you weren't using it often enough. Since the seal was tampered with, you can now use my chakra far easier than using it through the seal. It took too long the last time, and it needed you to be in a lot of danger before the seal would allow you the chakra I provide you with. That too is a good thing because…hmm, let's say…you could have exploded...from all that unused chakra. Thirdly and last, your hair…I just didn't like it the way it was," **the fox concluded snickering.

"Why you little…" Naruto growled dangerously. The fox glared at him aggressively. Deciding to not take his chances, Naruto dropped the case, albeit grudgingly. "So," the boy started warily, "what's in it for you? You're not doing all of this because of the goodness of your heart, right?"

The fox laughed shortly, "**You can be assured that it is the end of the world the day I do so. Nope, it's all for me, naturally. The seal has been altered to the extent that when you die naturally and your soul goes up or down in peace, mine wriggles free. I can only change it to that extent as of now. I'm not going to stop trying, though," **it added. **"But if you die before your time, that is, unnaturally or violently, well…we can say bye bye to me," **the fox said mournfully, actually contemplating the scenario of it's death with sorrow. **"So, I'm going to make sure that **_**you**_** make sure **_**I**_** survive. At the same time, you don't die too. So…it's a win-win situation. How about your co-operation, hmm? What do you say?"**the fox asked.

Naruto deliberated on it for quite a while, if merely to annoy the fox. He had already made up his mind the moment the fox made his proposal.

"**Well?! I'm certainly not going to wait all day!" **the fox exploded.

"Hmm? I guess…if I must…" Naruto smirked at Kyuubi's obvious annoyance.

"**Then get the hell out of this place."**

The world around him spun furiously. This time, he kept his eyes open. He swore to never close his eyes to the world around him. He would face everything the world threw at him with his eyes wide open and his head held up high and proud.

'_Never again…'

* * *

_

The world of the dungeon materialized in front of him. He was back and this time, he knew for certain…_he was not alone._

"**Kit…you don't** **mind I call you Kit?... Anyway, I did tell you…GET THE HELL OUT OF THIS PLACE!"** the voice of the obnoxious fox thundered in his head.

"Shut up," the boy smirked. He willed the energy into his fist and punched the wall.

* * *

"Uzumaki Naruto, your fate has been decided by the council," an officious voice rang out bossily. "By order of the council, you are to be terminated by the dawn of the next morning. You are to be beheaded by an ANBU officer on the charges of attempted mass-murder of the first degree. Do you have any last words?"

Expecting a childish outburst, a wail, or at least a depressed aura; any reaction at all, really; the officer was astonished to received… a reaction equivalent of nil.

Pushing the keys into the slot, he began, "Uzumaki Naruto, I asked if you had any last…" He pushed the door open, "…words." He gaped at the sight he beheld. What was once a solid, chakra-enhanced wall…was now left…only…

Rubble.

_TBC…

* * *

Weee!!! Another chapter finished! I am in serious need of a beta! Can anyone...help? _

Hope you didn't mind the flashbacks. They were there for a purpose like...that even though Naruto is Arashi's son, they are still incredibly dense and ungrateful. And the other to explain Naruto's current dislike of girls. See ya next chappie!

Standard fanfic writer procedure: Pls review!


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